Making roads safer for road workers rowsaf.org.

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// RoWSaFnews
Micks life has been dominated by trucks in one form or another for many years. Before joining Connect Plus Services 12 years ago, he was a truck service driver for Formula 1 and travelled all over Europe as part of a huge logistical operation. And his passion for motoring carries on into his social life. He customises vehicles, attending rallies at weekends Im currently rebuilding a 1950s truck which is my pride and joy; you need something to get your mind off things after a hard days work on the M25. Now, Mick drives an Impact Protection Vehicle (IPV), as part of a team based out of the Denham Depot. His day is pretty busy and as well as carrying out traffic management duties, putting out wicket signs etc, he also carries out litter picking and grass cutting duties. He is LANTRA trained as a TM Operative and holds a class 2 licence to drive an IPV for Connect Plus Services, who maintain the M25. Mick feels safe at work supported by a good team: If you didnt feel safe, you wouldnt go out there, but you need to be aware of whats going on around you he says. You can get complacent, but when you work with the same guys all the time, you know what to do and you look out for one another. Mick has some reservations about driver behaviour though and has seen some risky behaviour over the years. Drivers dont concentrate, he says, They drift onto the hard shoulder and dont obey the signs. Sometimes they stay in lane 4 until the last second before moving over when they see an IPV, which is crazy because you can see an IPV from about a mile away! Mick has experience of what this can mean for worker safety. A friend of mine was driving an IPV when it was hit, but thankfully he wasnt hurt. He says that verbal and even physical abuse from drivers is commonplace. People throw things

Issue 4 - October 2012

Traffic Management at work

This is the first of our profiles on Traffic Management Operatives. Meet Mick Hammond, a TM Operative on the NE part of the M25, junctions 15 23.

A-one+ is developing an

IPV education initiative in collaboration with hauliers Norbert Dentressangle to train the trainers of their 1800 HGV drivers. This will help to build understanding of why IPVs are on the road, what action drivers should take if they see one and what the impacts are when an IPV is hit. The intention is that the training module will be shared across the industry through the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to their members.

Mick Hammond with his IPV on the M25. and shout because they dont understand why we are putting cones out. If we can get their registration number, we report it to the police. Overall though, Micks positive. I think that traffic management is getting safer, he says. We cross the carriageway less now because of improvements that the industry has developed and that will get even better. My depot took part in the cone lamp removal trial which is a really good idea. The less we cross the road the better. And he says there is a lot more information on hand to help him get the job done safely. We get briefings when new things are being trailed or used. The safety alerts and newsletters we get, including RoWSaF News, show us that our safety is being taken seriously. Summing it all up Mick says: All in all, I enjoy my job. Theres a great team spirit and I like the variety. Saying that, Im just off to cut the grass on the A1(M). Micks IPV: 17 tonnes and 52 foot long with the crash cushion down.

An article in the

motoring supplement of the Telegaraph on 7 September highlighted an ordeal faced by roadworker Carl Stephenson when his IPV was struck . You can view the article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ motoring/road-safety/9495761/ Roadworker-safety-fears.html

Have you got a story to tell?

We want to hear your news and views on road worker safety. If youve got a story to tell, email it to info@rowsaf.org.uk and well be in touch.

Making roads safer for road workers Issue 4 October 2012

// RoWSaFnews 1 >>

Update from RoWSaF on high priority projects

Removal of road danger lamps from longitudinal runs of cones downstream of the taper
The on-road trial didnt offer conclusive proof that road danger lamps are essential for road user safety at relaxation road works. The ergonomics and risk benefits for road workers support omitting road danger lamps on well lit motorways as a first stage. RoWSaF recognises that the benefits of removing cone lamps are significant and has approved an approach that will develop guidance for omission of road danger lamps under certain conditions, based on more data collected over a longer time period than was possible on the phase 1 trial.

aimingforzero
One workforce, zero harm
TRL is collecting data to understand how often cone strikes happen. If you have any data about cone strikes that will help, please feed it in via info@rowsaf.org.uk Other early stage projects include two which are investigating how variable signs and signals on existing gantries could be used to reduce the number of TTM signs at ground level the use of fixed gantries for speed control at road works, and the use of gantries for advance warning of road works (lane control). A project reviewing the use of remote controlled post mounted signs (for example on the central reserve) will have two stages the development of a best practice guidance document and road data gathering and evaluation at sites where remote controlled TTM signs have been installed.

Offside signs relaxation

This project is looking at removing all offside signs on the approach to relaxation scheme road works. The first and second phases looked at closure of one or two nearside lanes on a three lane carriageway. Both trials were successful and an Interim Advice Note (IAN) is expected early in October.

Guidance for works on the hard shoulder and nearside verge

The current guidance on this (IAN115/08) has been revised after extensive consultation with the supply chain. It is now undergoing EU consultation (as required by EU law) and should be issued before the end of the year.

Alignment of RWS projects with managed motorways all lanes running (MM ALR)
RoWSaF Working Group and Trials Team members recently met with members of the Highways Agencys team developing the All Lanes Running concept. MM ALR will convert the hard shoulder into a permanent running lane, rather than it being used intermittently during periods of heavy traffic flows, as is the case with current managed motorways ( IAN 161/12 sets out the new design for Managed Motorways), but it is important to recognise that MM ALR will account for just 5 to 10 per cent of the motorway network. RoWSaFs interest in MM ALR is, of course, its commitment to ensure that safe working practice for road workers can be achieved in the new layouts. RoWSaF met with the ALR team to prioritise the work of the Aiming for Zero (AfZ) road worker safety (RWS) programme against the needs of ALR, identifying those projects which might be developed or prioritised in order to contribute to the ALR objectives, to ensure the safety of road workers. To give a flavour of the ideas that came from the meeting, it was proposed that a number of road worker safety projects which are currently only looking at relaxation works are adapted for use on MM ALR and also extended to standard works. This would include temporary traffic management sign simplification (reported in RoWSaF news issue 2) and the omission of offside signs on the approach to road works. Using fixed taper positions 200 metres downstream of the MS4 wicket sign was suggested, and using suitably spaced MS4s instead of signs at ground level or using verge mounted remote control signs where MS4s are not viable. It is also acknowledged that drivers understand the wicket sign better than the Red X and driver behaviour is improved with the wicket to close the lane, so this will be adopted for new roll out on MM ALR. An added benefit being considered is that if carriageway crossings can be eliminated, the maximum vehicle flow at which relaxation works are done could potentially be increased thus extending the working window. The removal of road danger lamps was seen as key to unlocking worker risk, and tackling public perception of road works and driver education with regard to MM ALR was highlighted as a key issue. It was suggested that we should consider rolling out these temporary traffic management techniques to APTRs (all purpose trunk roads). These ideas will, of course, be subject to further discussion and development. Well keep you updated on the development of MM ALR through RoWSaFnews.

Vehicle mounted high level light emitting signs

This project is exploring removal of all offside signs on the approach to relaxation scheme road works and replacing them with three vehicle mounted high level VMS on the hard shoulder at 800, 500 and 200 yards upstream of the taper. Initial trials of a single offside lane closure were successful; trials for nearside lane closures are underway and the intention is to develop guidance enabling the use of these signs if the latest trials are also successful.

Review of Impact Protection Vehicle (IPV) strikes:

The review shows that the rate of road user collisions with IPVs involved in traffic management activity has remained constant over the last few years. The reason why drivers hit these vehicles isnt clear but this is being investigated and guidance on the use of IPVs prepared.

Mechanisation of temporary traffic management processes

A project looking at how to mechanise the process of cone placement and retrieval is underway. This is a desk top study to determine what is currently available and what is likely to be feasible.

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Making roads safer for road workers Issue 4 October 2012

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Myth buster high visibility workwear

Starting a new series exploring road worker safety myths, Dr Iain Rillie of TRL shines a light on high-visibility workwear.

aimingforzero
One workforce, zero harm

Highways Agency media campaign

The Highways Agency will be running a safety at roadworks media campaign early in October to highlight to drivers that they have a responsibility for safety in roadworks too, and to encourage them to do their part by driving safely through roadworks and respecting the safety of workers and other drivers. The Highways Agencys Area Road Users Satisfaction Survey shows that 79 per cent of drivers say that they slow down at roadworks, because of the reduced speed limit, to avoid accidents or because road workers are present. The key message of the media campaign will encourage drivers to continue to take care because of the continuing risks to workers from traffic, and it will emphasise the importance of respect for workers in their workplace. The Agencys press officers will be working with colleagues in the communications teams of the Agencys service providers and other suppliers to co-ordinate publicity across the country. Anyone who would like to be involved in the publicity campaign should email the Agencys national press team at pressoffice@highways.gsi.gov.uk

it easier to recognise the shape of a person. But many road workers only wear a hi-viz jacket which means their lower half is pretty much invisible, making it harder for drivers to figure out what it is theyre seeing. Im wearing a hi-viz jacket surely drivers can see me from miles away! Drivers dont always pay attention to where theyre going so you cant guarantee they will be looking at you. Even if they do pay attention they wont expect to see a road worker. Research shows that drivers who werent specifically told to look for road workers only spot them when they are about thirty metres away. Thirty metres is about six car lengths - at 70mph a car covers that distance in one second. The research was based on a road worker wearing hi-viz jacket and trousers which together make Despite all of this, many road workers think that their high-visibility clothing means they can be seen from at least eight hundred metres away if not more. If youre looking for something you know is there, you might be able to see it at that distance; but expecting drivers to recognise something theyre not expecting to see from that far away? It simply doesnt happen in practice. So, that myth is busted drivers dont see you from miles away, its more like 30 metres. Give them the best chance to spot you by making sure your PPE is clean and wearing both hi-viz jacket and trousers.

Roads Service Northern Ireland - quit smoking initiative

As part of Roads Service commitment to Buildhealth, a group established to improve the health of construction and road workers in N. Ireland, Roads Service in partnership with the Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) developed a successful smoking cessation programme for their employees. The stop smoking programme involved an initial assessment after which motivated quitters were offered a range of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) free of charge during each session to ease withdrawal symptoms. These included patches, gum and lozenges. Volunteers received an intensive 30 minute advice session on their particular smoking habit and their motivation to quit. At the four week stage a 57 percent quit rate was achieved. This is an impressive achievement for all involved, especially when compared to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines which estimate a 35 percent quit rate at four weeks. Research shows that using a combination of behavioural support and therapies such as nicotine replacement therapies, smokers quadruple their chance of successfully quitting. A 12 week stop smoking clinic was delivered as part of the programme. Doreen Regan a Stop Smoking Specialist from UCF said, Stopping smoking is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your health. Stephen.Tweed@drdni.gov.uk

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Making roads safer for road workers Issue 4 October 2012

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BBC Breakfast reporter helps collect litter on A66 in the North East
An encounter between a BBC radio journalist and a littering driver resulted in a very timely visit to Darlington by a BBC Breakfast film crew this summer. The littering incident involved the journalist throwing a bottle back into a car after seeing it being thrown out of the window by the driver. Widespread publicity over the incident prompted BBC Breakfast reporter John Maguire to contact the Highways Agency to find out a bit more about road users who litter and how we manage the problem. So on a sunny Friday morning John and a film crew joined a litter picking team from the Highways Agencys Area 14 service providers A-one+ alongside the busy A66 outside Darlington to find out more about the hazards of the work and what we are doing about it. A-one+ works closely with local authorities in the area. They do the litter picking from A roads but A-one+ operatives are occasionally sent out to do supplementary picking. John spent three hours with a team of operatives from Bradbury depot where they spend the winter months working to help keep the North Easts roads free from ice and snow. Highways Agencys regional press officer Neil Sterio managed the BBC visit. It was something of an eye-opener for John to find that the salt spreading crews helping to keep drivers on the move through ice and snow are the same people who have to clean up the mess thrown from some of those drivers cars and what a very unpleasant mess that often is. Following a safety briefing from A-one+ Network Manager Phill Beaumont, John helped the operatives collect litter from the side of the A66 and, with a variety of rubbish ranging from fast food cartons to a discarded mattress and very heavy lorries rumbling close by, got an idea of the issues for himself. Operative Mike Evans provided extra insight in an interview explaining just how hazardous and dirty some of the rubbish is, while Andrew Brown, HAs service delivery team manager for the area, talked about the Agencys concerns litter is dirty, unsightly and costly and puts our roadworkers safety at risk in having to collect it. The feature was broadcast on BBC Breakfast throughout the morning on Friday 1 June.

aimingforzero
One workforce, zero harm

These boots arent fit for working

A campaign last year by Carillion Construction has helped reduce foot and ankle injuries. In 2011 Carillion Construction recognised that 25 percent of all accidents and 45 percent of RIDDORs were to the foot and ankle. Causes included poor underfoot conditions, the choice or condition of footwear, the general health and physical condition of feet and knowledge of how to treat injuries. Carillion launched a sustained campaign to train staff and the workforce around these issues. This culminated in Boot Camp Week Carillion footwear facts 2011 Of over 130 reported ankle and foot injuries: 60% were twists 21% penetration injuries 18% crush/impact injuries Around 1 in 6 of all foot/ankle injuries are reportable. 45% of all RIDDORs were foot/ankle. Thats 130 people with potentially life changing injuries. with site inspections, road shows, health workshops, training and discounts on new footwear. By Quarter 2 this year the statistics for foot and ankle injuries had halved compared with the same period last year.

Drivers views on littering our roads

In issue 3 we talked about litter picking safety improvements. The Highways Agencys area road users satisfaction survey asked the public for their views on litter on our motorways and trunk roads. This is what they had to say. People generally felt that our motorways are free from litter and that they have less litter than trunk roads. When asked whose responsibility it is to ensure that the network is free from litter (who should clear it), 47 per cent said that responsibility rests with the Highways Agency, 33 per cent said the council or local authority and 24 per cent said it was down to the people travelling on the network. More positively, 51 per cent said that people who drop or throw the litter in the first place are responsible for it being seen, while 21 per cent thought that it is the Highways Agencys responsibility and 18 per cent the council or local authority. The Highways Agency ran its Bag it, Bin it campaign again this summer. It called on all road users to help us tackle roadside litter on Englands motorways and major A roads by keeping a bag in their vehicle to store rubbish and then dispose of it safely. The Highways Agency collects around 240,000 sacks of litter from its motorways each year. It costs 40 to clear each of these sacks. The August 2011 Bag it, Bin It campaign resulted in 130,000 savings on litter collection compared with the same month the previous year.

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Making roads safer for road workers Issue 4 October 2012

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Preventing incidents reducing risk

A Highways Agency project looking to reduce incidents on its network will help cut risks to traffic officers and road workers. Every day road traffic collisions, breakdowns and pieces of debris in the road require our traffic officers and contractor workers to go onto the network, and this puts them in danger. It creates a lot of risk, every day, to a lot of hardworking people, and in the vast majority of cases the risks are preventable. If the driver had been concentrating on their driving instead of checking their phone, for example, they would have stopped in time when the vehicle in front braked suddenly. Or if the family had followed the Highway Code and breakdown advice they wouldnt have let their dog out of the car to escape onto the live carriageway, causing chaos, secondary incidents and long delays. The Highways Agency is leading on a large stakeholder project, in collaboration with over 15 road safety partners, looking at things like close following, HGV incidents and breakdown of vehicles. This will enable a reduction in incidents on the network and thereby reduce risks to workers. If you have data, research or insight that could help, or if you can help to disseminate the final product and messages, please contact julie.smith@highways.gsi.gov.uk or call 0113 283 6440. Each year the Highways Agency has around: A quarter of a million recorded incidents of breakdown on the hard shoulder 50,000 incidents which result in debris in the road 6,000 or so recorded incidents resulting in infrastructure damage 28,000 non injury road traffic collisions.
Data relates to the number of times a closure code has been used in the Highways Agencys command and control system (not necessarily number of total incidents). If you wish to use this data please ask Julie Smith for the full list of caveats.

aimingforzero
A taste of RWS projects in Europe
One workforce, zero harm

As part of the Highways Agencys ongoing liaison with European roads administrations, a meeting was held with colleagues from the Netherlands and Belgium in June of this year. The Netherlands are conducting a risk analysis of temporary barriers to look at whether they should allow a deflection zone as we do in the United Kingdom. They are also trialling the use of narrow vehicles for maintenance on sections of road which have dynamic hard shoulder running. Belgiums analysis of its first rush hour lane scheme installed last year has shown good results with no accidents, but enforcement is a problem. They are setting up further rush hour lanes but are reviewing the signing to make it more explicit and help enforcement. They are also using semi-mobile speed cameras and recently opened their first average speed installation, and they are trialling the use of one crash cushion, rather than three, for hard shoulder working.

RoWSaF Online

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CEDR call
The Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) has invited research proposals on the safety of road workers and interaction with road users, and on the use of vehicle restraint systems. Paul Michell from the Highways Agency has led a group of European professionals who have set out the research brief. At the moment the tenders are being evaluated and a decision will be taken in the Autumn.

Our website is playing a growing part in sharing information about RoWSaFs work to our industry, media and the public. Aimed at promoting roadworker safety and best practice, the last edition of our newsletter was downloaded around 200 times from the website and we know from feedback that it is also being printed and distributed to works depots. We encourage this so that all our road workers have a chance to read and learn about the latest issues affecting them. The website is also being viewed outside the United Kingdom - in the US and Europe in particular, but also in 15 other countries worldwide. The website is still in its development phase. If you have any feedback on what youd like it to feature contact us at info@rowsaf.org.uk

About us
The Road Workers Safety Forum (RoWSaF) is an industry group established in 2001, promoting the health, safety and welfare of road workers. Members are drawn from UK roads administrations, enforcement agencies, contractors, designers and their associations.
Crown copyright 2012. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

Contact us
RoWSaFnews welcomes contributions from all parts of the highways maintenance community. If you have any contributions please contact lesley.oreilly@highways.gsi.gov.uk

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Making roads safer for road workers Issue 4 October 2012

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